Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-01-20

torrnatory, anG reform school, should he unde,
&he supervision c: one board. composed o; MOI
moro than five members. One member OF eact
d these two boards. its chairman or its secre
tary, should devote his eatirc time to such
suties OF visitation, auditing ACCOUNTS inspect.
ing supplies and property. ETC., as might be de-
soIved upon him by law, and tie niileare sys
TEN should be abolished
THE MILEAGE SYSTEM
The payment Of members % State boards n,
ather officers under the mileage system is er
:ravasant and vicioUs, and should be entirely
ioohshed. IT has nothing TO recommend H. i;
UNJUST alke 20 the public and to the officers
"no are Icts paid. subjcct;n9 tic s:Gte 10 un.
necessary expense, and its servants to un-
neflFed suspicion and criticism.
Svery member OF q State board should DC
paid liberal per diem for services and neces.
'ary expenses while travelling 20 Or returning
rom meetings. Every provision OF law which
hlows any officer or einrioye Of the State niia,
age payments, should be at once repealed
PENITEETIARY,
The report Of the directors of the penitentiarv.
including the reports OF the warden. superin.
endent o, coal mire and other officers OF that
Institution, are Submitted herewith They pf,,-
sent IN detar the condition and wori, of the
,enitenIa~y during the last bicnnia. period and
urnisD estimates of its needs for the future
the Necessity for female prison and ward faf
me insane is apparent. The institution is
crowded beyond capacity On the Isl of JuIv
Ssi, 1t contained s5l prisoners; July l. 1885, this
humber had increased to $40: July ]. 1896 to
~; and on the list OF January. 1897 che number
vas a34. There are only 100 cells in the inst!tt-
Ion, SO that In each of 25f cells two prisoner.
ire placed.
Inc penitentiary continues self-sustai,tns
:or the fiscal year ending June 80 1895, the
earnings aggregated 800, 1851; expenditures
h4S2Jl.R; excess OF earnings So 2G5 ~ For
he nscai year ending June 81. 1886, the earnings
fsETe2ated s2!o, 1856; expenditures SiGabin q
Excess OF earnings, Sol 1886. Excess of ccgn:rys
over expenditures during the TIVE i,seei wears
N"'4i DO In the expenditures, too are counted
stocai OF Ss3, 1290l for permanent improvements
so that the earnings or the institution during
he last biennial period, really exceeded It's rx-
'ehditure sl3s,GtN29 The total cost OF main
lining the prisoners, including salaries, board
LIZ c4oth1pg bedding and all other EXPENSE.
,opS,iS charged to maintenance, has also been
iteadllS reduced
THE STATE Reform ATORY
ono wing OF the new Industrial reforn,ntory 1T
Hutchinson is nearly Completed. and the f,;ais.
allure should make provision for organizing its
>fcial force, and for the erection nf the admin.
stratlon and other necessary buildings. In nv
special MESA re OF 1886 expressed my warm
approval OF The purpose Of this institution and
~ Dclci that not one half of the prisoners e,u-
'enccd TO confinement IN the :.an.teo,,orv
naturally belong to the criming; casses. Their
fSe TIE nature OF their oiseESes the light sen
iences imposed on many of them. and the fire.
auent appeals made In their behalf for executive
,icnency by Judges, prosecuting attorneys ard
jurors, al justify the belief that hundrp,.s 81
-hese youthful law-brcGkers might ,,y a irdi-
-ious course OF discipline and ::aning be 1e-
claimed ard reformed. therefore regard the
s9'aphshnleht Of the Industrial rcfcrmatory as
marking new era ~ the administration of JUS
nee and "inccrel- hope that the Legislature
VAL make a.Dr'e provisions 10: equippins, open.
ilS ana c9p pleting it.
- TIE SUPREME Coi'FT
a delay OF Justice is often an absolute denial
81 justice The docket OF the Supreme Court is
90 ovcrhurdcncd that, in many instances. long.
expensive ana reGatiOus delays attend the final
adjudication of cases brought before that ,rii,,,-
aal. Nearly six hundred cases ary, Row an lis
docket, and over thirty rev casa e:e tle6 each
month. The three iustipua constituting the
court are not able to dispose Of more than three
iuhureu cases eac1 year. and the undecided
,;SScs are, therefore, steadily increasing 1t is
eliaeht upaI some relief should be afforded |
" neh o"r Constitution was adopted Kansas had
Ndy Que hundred thousand inhabitants thirty |
NO organized counties, and Eve judicial dis |
rrJts; we have ROW ,5D0,0oo inhabitants. ninety.
el%ht organized counties, and twenty four ir- |
lclai districts. Every order, decree or iudg- |
nent entered in these inferior courts. whether |
The amount involved IS largo or small. can be |
i;liicn to the Supreme Court for review. When |
III these isetS are considered, it must lie ap- /
parent that the justices of the Supreme Court |
awe imposed upon them such lahors as. with |
aue regard for the investigation and study nee.
sssary to arrive at just judgments, can not be |
performed. An Amendment TO the Constitu-
.'oh' pfOpH'ng an increase in the number of
supreme Court Judges, was voted down ut the
Nceht eicctcn by an overwhelming majority.
Inc court can, however, be relieved in another
way, and without expense to the taxpayers If
appeals 10 civil cases were limited the busi.
ness OF TIA :upremc Court might be largely de-
sreaseu l have asccrtafGed that nearly one
fourth OF the cases Row filed ia that court in
volve Sums OF less than Two hundred and fifty
1oiars very large proportion OF these cases
are taRch up either To '''.'i2 delay, or because
d Dad feeling betv Gen the pa, lies !iligant No
pubic or private interest is be 1eftlcd, nor are
the en0s OF justice subseryed, sy such q syster, |
OF Jurisprudence. 1t seems TO ne that no civil |
c;fse where the judgment rendered is less than
TWO hundred and fifty dollars, should be prose-
;atcd by writ Of error in the Supreme Court,
unless IL lnVo,res~some public matter or in.
porfant ia| question.
+. LAWS AND SUPREME COURT REPORTS.
Provision should be made for clectro;rping
The laws of the State and the Supreme Court |
reports, as they are priated. SO that new ed-
tons can be published 10 meet the demands of
the future. The cost of elcctrotyping these VOL
umes would oe small. and its necessity is ap-
partn There are no volumes of the Kansas
laws now in charge of the State Librarian for
sale. Even the edition Of the session laws of
1875 was long ago exhausted. OF the Supreme
court reports, volumes one to twenty.eiSht are
Jul OF print. Volumes one ia seventeen have
been printed by private dealers. to meet the de-
mand Tor them. The sale of these laws and re-
ports IS u source OF profit not Of expense, 20 the
state, and there is always 4 demand for much
larger number than is printed
THE DISTRICT COURTS.
Two years ago called the attention OF the
Legislature to the necessity for an equitable
hEislon OF the State into judicial districts We
nave now twenty-four district judges and if /.
lhelr iabors were fairly apportioned not one of !
them would be overburdcned and all the legal . I.
business OF the State could be promptly and .
Iairly dispatched. But rs the judicial districts
ere now formed, several OF the Judges have /,
abundant leisure, while Others holding court.
very month, are unable TO keep their docsets /.
near a general redistricting OF the State :
Would avoid the necessity of creating new dis
ricts, and thus prevent al increase of judicial
expenditures.
OUR DIVORCE LAWS.
NiaNc Souipl'ilntS arc nlaue rom many sources .
cur laws relating TO divorce which
I is believed establish such grounds for separa-
ION rs inevitably tend 10 make the marriage :
contract one carelessly assumed. because cas-
~ abro3aicd. At 4 single term of the district 4
ourt II one county fourteen divorce cases all
brought within three months, were on the dock
u The most common ground for these suits is :
abandonment for one year" and between par
les who for any cause desire to obtain a divorce
oluslon upon this ground is easy, and the "
necessary proof readily furnished 1t is believed :.
hat citizens of other states are taking advan- =